To write the words that left your mind
by RainingSun-chan
Summary: Orihime is like the sun. The sun sets, and must rise again. But how? IchixHime. Rated T just in case! Chapter 3: To paint everything black
1. To be the sun

Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, my name would be Tite Kubo. It's not.

Chapter One: To be the Sun.

The morning was sunny and bright that day. All throughout Karakura town people were seen with a smile on their faces. Traffic flowed as quickly as ice, contrary to the warm atmosphere. Of all the thousands of people in Karakura, one had a smile that out shined all the others.

Inoue Orihime. She was an unsolvable case. Nobody could figure out why the girl was so optimistic all the time. She lost her only family, Inoue Sora when she was only twelve years old. Now at age sixteen, she lived alone in a small apartment. Oh yes, she was an unsolvable case, but impossible not to love. Her personality could easily be likened to the sun: always warm, welcoming, and friendly. Tatsuki wondered about her best friend in amusement. They were at their first class of the day, waiting for their teacher. Tatsuki checked her watch. Five, four, three, two-

"Good morning Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime called happily, as usual.

"Morning Inoue." Ichigo said. " Hey Chad, Tatsuki, Ishida."

"Hmm." Chad replied.

"ICHIGOOOOO!" Keigo flew in, only to be stopped by Ichigo's fist.

"Really Asano-san, you should know better by now." Mizuiro said while texting.

"What!"

As Keigo continued with his antics, Ochi-sensei entered the classroom.

"Asano-san! Please sit down!" She said curtly. Asano gulped and did as he was told.

"Well, what a surprise! Everyone is here! Even Kurosaki! Why have you decided to grace us with your presence, hmm?" She inquired.

Ichigo groaned. Everyone was on his case. He had recently returned to Hueco Mundo after rescuing Orihime defeating Aizen , and ever since then Ochi-sensei had kept asked him the same question with mock surprise. It was getting on his nerves. "I told you I'm not busy anymore."

"Well that's good!" She said. "Because today we are going to be starting a new unit. It's on using poetical devices to better portray one's meaning. In other words, poetry. We will be studying various different poets and forms. Today I want to start you off with some free writing to get the feel of it. I'll give you a prompt, and you just take it from there. Got it? Well whether you do or not, that's your problem, because I'm not explaining again!" The class still wondered how a teacher could be so… blunt.

"Any ideas for a prompt?" She sighed. "Yes Asano?"

"How about we do a prompt on describing Orihime-chan and her-" Keigo was abruptly cut off by an eraser to the eye.

"Prompts?" She said again. Mizuiro raised his hand. "Yes Mizuiro?"

"What if we write about our deepest secret and make it anonymous?" Mizuiro said. He smirked. He could tell the handwriting of everyone in the class.

"Shockingly, that's a fair idea! Any objections?" Nobody answered. It was actually an interesting topic. "Great! Just remember to write it as a poem somehow and don't put your name on it! You may begin now."

The sound of pencils scratching chorused in the room. Most diligently working was Orihime. A faint blush stained her cheeks as she did so. Tatsuki watched her out the corner of her eye and laughed to herself. Orihime was so predictable. It seemed that the further the class went on, the redder her cheeks became. Almost the entire class flew by before Ochi-sensei stopped them.

"I've actually given a prompt that can make a bunch of lazy high school students do work! Amazing!" She went on smiling. Nobody bothered to remind her that she wasn't the one who had suggested the prompt in the first place. "Now let's make this interesting. Everyone hand your papers to me, and I will read each one aloud." Everyone gasped, with the exception of Mizuiro. "Oh come on! It's anonymous and your grade depends on it!" The last part made everyone unhappily obey. "Good, good. Okay, the first one is called-." Ochi-sensei scanned the poem before her with a frown. The class was curious as to why she wore such an expression. Everyone besides Orihime, that is. "This is a lovely poem." She said. "I think it's good enough to publish! The author of the poem used an alias, Six-Lily. I would like this Six-Lily to speak with we after class if possible."

Orihime bit her lip. If she stayed after class then everyone would know who wrote the poem. It would be so embarrassing! She flushed at the very thought of it. She glanced at Tatsuki who wore a knowing smile on her face.

"I won't read this particular poem to the class. Okay, how about everyone write either I am not the author of this poem or I am the author of this poem. After that, you are all dismissed. Remember, I need your name this time." Eager to leave, the class did as they were told. Besides, they weren't warned that these secrets would be read aloud! "Good. Now get outta here!"

Ichigo was surprised to see Orihime leave so quickly. Somehow it just didn't seem like her. Regardless, he was glad that their poems hadn't been read. He wrote it in iambic parameter, and if people knew he liked Shakespeare as much as he did, his image would take serious damage. Oh yes, Mizuiro was a sneaky one.

For the rest of the day, Orihime was careful to avoid Ochi-sensei. She really didn't want a confrontation on her poem. She didn't know if she could take it! Tatsuki often said that her secret was obvious to everyone but the dense "strawberry". Orihime refused to believe it, though. It wasn't that obvious, was it? At least she didn't think so. It wouldn't help her confidence at all to notice others' knowing glances and smiles whenever she spoke to Ichigo. Orihime was ever so blissfully unaware.

During lunch time, Orihime didn't speak much and was careful to keep her head down as she ate. She could feel Tatsuki's eyes boring in to her forehead. She didn't mind that much. At least her spinach-marshmallow stew was there to cheer her up! She let the satisfying twinge of salt and sugar excite her happy mouth. She forgot all about keeping her head down and couldn't help but smile at everyone in her group! Tatsuki-chan, Ishida-kun, Sado-kun,Kurosaki-kun… _Look down! Look down!_ She reminded herself, hiding her deepening blush. Out the corner of her eye she could see a quizzical look pass Ichigo's face. _Oh no! Now I've upset him._ To make up for it Orihime offered some of her stew to him.

"No thanks. I'm not really hungry." Ichigo said quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I can't eat anything else!"

"Okay!"

Despite everything, it was a pretty good day Orihime thought to herself as she walked on her way home. She allowed her pace to slow, noting everything she saw. Everything was warm and bright. Every window gleamed under the fierce gaze of the sun. She let the sounds of footsteps and voices ring together in her mind, stopping all thoughts. Her senses did the thinking for her. Her memory carried her towards her apartment and her heart made her smile. The lovable Inoue Orihime set one foot in front of the other, almost as if dancing. Suddenly she had the urge to stare at the sun for hours. She looked up, blinded. The sun's glory overshadowed her senses and her mind and took over her body. The movement of her feet stopped all together. The lovable Inoue Orihime. I wondered if she ever noticed that the light was not the sun. She felt no pain as auburn and red met the pavement.

Author's note: Ooh! Cliffy! The first chappy was pretty funny and moved kind of slowly. My intention was to distract you with the humor then surprise you! Did it work? The next ones will definitely be more angsty and upsetting. But don't worry! I love happy endings! Enjoy! Oh! And I'll try and make them longer if I can (This is my first story by the way)!


	2. To see only white

**Chapter Two: To see only white.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach my name would be Tite Kubo. It's not.**

Voices. For a long time she heard them. They were distorted and barely audible. They ran together in her head. Hearing was her only remaining sense. She listened for a long time. It was all she could do. She often heard one line: "I'm sorry." She didn't know why. She liked that line. Though she didn't understand why. _Why? Why are you sorry?_ She tried to ask. But she couldn't. She only listened. This voice she picked out of all the others. It was gentle, she decided. Gentle yet dark, and very sharp. Like black and orange. Orange… what a beautiful color. Like the sun. At this she frowned. No, not like the sun! Like strawberries! She let her mind race forward only to sharply pull it back. Orange like strawberries? That didn't make sense. It was a puzzle she couldn't figure out. Strawberries are red. Red. Her heart jumped. Not red. Orange. It was better. She smiled. Lilies. She thought she saw lilies. Six of them. She liked lilies. They were pretty. Lilies protected her. What a pleasant thought. She was a princess in a snow white castle and I'm Sorry-san was her savior, carrying in his arms six lovely lilies and defeating the sun dragon! She said his because she found the voice to be masculine. Like that of a boy who had grown up too fast, carrying the world on his back. How sad she thought. She wanted to lift that weight off his shoulders. She wanted to help him carry it and walk with him. She reached out and her hand touched something warm and soft. She frowned. She traced her fingers along its edge and tentatively squeezed it. It fit perfectly in her own. She smiled again. The object quickly retracted. She frowned. Hearing took over. It was dark for a very long time, it seemed. She opened her eyes. White. Only white. Am I dead? Is this heaven? Slowly, she sat up. A murmur… "I'm sorry this had to happen. He's-"

"An angel?" She asked.

"What?" Bespectacled blue eyes met hers.

"Are you an angel?"

"No! Inoue-san! You're alright! I-I have to tell-"A pause. "You're awake!" He stood up and removed his glasses, wiping them on his shirt. When he put them back on he saw that he was not seeing things.

"Oh… Ishida-kun? You are I'm Sorry-san?"

"What? Oh yes, I suppose I am. Inoue-san, do you know what happened?"

"I died."

"No! You didn't die! You were in a car accident, remember?"

"I remember orange."

"Orange? You don't mean that idiot Kurosaki do you?"

"Ishida-kun! That's not very nice! Don't be mean to Kurosaki-kun!"

"Sorry. I have to tell-"There was a pause. "You're awake!" If you blinked you would miss him leave the room. That's why Orihime wondered why Ishida-kun had super speed. Or teleportation!

The very next thing a nurse flew in to the room and asked her several questions. Orihime answered each with a smile and said she was just fine.

"Okay! Get lots of rest!" The nurse called before leaving. Orihime frowned. She wasn't sleepy at all. How long had she been sleeping? She looked to the right out her window. Like the rest of the room, the curtains were white. They blocked out the sun, but Orihime didn't mind. The room was dark. Black. A good color, Orihime decided. Ishida-kun didn't return. He probably thought she needed her rest too. How sweet of him! She thought. Why was he being so kind to her? She hoped that it wasn't only out of pity! She didn't like pity. It caused sadness to fill where it didn't belong. And why pity her? She hadn't been asleep for that long, had she? She probably only got a bump on her head!

She pounded her head for affect. "I have a hard head!" She sing-songed. That really hurt her hand! She saw that there was a T.V. Maybe she could watch it! Beside her she found a remote control. Scanning the buttons, she saw the "On" button and pressed it. Pleased to see that it worked, she flipped through the channels. A show called Laugh Hour flashed on the screen. She smiled. Perfect! Hospitals made her sad. The white wasn't so bad. It meant purity, and innocence. "Sometimes it was better to remain innocent of knowledge. It can hurt you." She remembered hearing somewhere. Who said it? She couldn't remember. Perhaps some inspirational peace-maker or genius, like Ghandi or Einstein!

Ishida-kun visited her every day. She was glad. Sometimes it was lonely all by herself. She would lift the weight off his shoulders and he would take away her loneliness. They talked about lots of things. The sun, the trees, the birds. They were an odd pair. Ishida-kun seemed to be very careful with his topics. One day Orihime asked him about school.

"It's fine." He said hesitantly.

"And Kurosaki-kun?" _Of course she had to ask that!_ Uryuu thought.

"The usual. Scowling all the time like an idiot."

"Ishida-kun!" She scolded.

"Sorry."

"Where's everyone else? Why are you the only one who visits me?"

"They're all busy with school. I'm at the top of the class so I don't have to study a lot."

"Oh."

There was a silence. Not an awkward one, but a long one. Orihime seemed to be deep in thought. "How long was I sleeping for?" She asked.

Uryuu looked away. "A day or two."

"That's good." She trusted him. It broke him.

"Where did my lilies go?"

"Oh your hair pins?" For a moment an odd look crossed his face but it disappeared before she could see what it was.

"Back at your apartment, I suppose."

"Oh! I wondered why my hair was in my face! It's so long! Why did they put them there?"

"They wanted them to be kept somewhere safe, probably."

"That's nice of them! Say Ishida-kun?"

"Yes."

"When can I go back to school?" She paused. "I can, right?"

"Of course. You just need to rest!"

Orihime rested for a long time.

Everyday Orihime asked him the same questions. It broke him more and more each day. He fought desperately to give her everything she wanted. He couldn't. Soon Orihime became scared.

"Kurosaki-kun? Is he okay?"

"As okay as he usually is." Uryuu said truthfully.

"And everyone else? They're okay?"

"As okay as they usually are." He said honestly.

"You? Are you okay?"

"As okay as I usually am." He said frankly.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes. I am positive." He said.

Orihime thought for a moment. "How okay are they usually?"

"Okay."

"But how much?"

"That's an odd question. They're just okay."

"I think I am an odd person. Do you think so Ishida-kun?"

"Very." He said.

"Why?"

"You ask too many questions." He said.

"I need answers though Ishida-kun!"

"I always answer you."

"Not really! Please don't pretend!"

"I'm not pretending!"

"You are! You won't tell me anything! Is everybody else dead?" At this tears streamed down her face. Her body shook violently with each sob. She wiped her tears. "Please! I need to know!"

He couldn't lie to her anymore. "Inoue-san I-"

All of a sudden a nurse opened the door. "I need your and her permission for the newspaper to do a story about you, ma'am and waking up like a miracle!" The nurse practically sang, oblivious to the heavy atmosphere. "We need the publicity! Please do it!"

"Alright." Orihime managed to control her voice.

Uryuu hesitated. He would do it! He wanted to give her everything. "That sounds nice." He said.

"Hmm… You're both awful young…. Oh yes! Sign here Inoue-san!" The nurse said. "I mean both of you!" She handed Orihime and Uryuu pen and a contract, and Orihime complied. As usual, she was happy to help.

"Good! I'll be going now! Oh, and sorry, visiting hours are over!"

"Yes. Bye." He was very careful.

"Bye." Orihime said.

After everyone had gone, Orihime poured her heart out. White wasn't such a good color after all.

**Author's Note: Told you I'd update quick didn't I! ^^ Lots of questions will be answered next chappy! I know I said that this would be Ichihime (and it will be), but don't worry! We're getting there! I just have to establish everything first, then the story really starts kick'n! I bet your wondering about her hair pins too! You might find out in a few more chapters… Also, I have considered doing next chapter previews. I will try one this time, and tell me what you think…**

**Chapter Three: To paint everything black.**

_If only he could find a way for her to forgive him…_

_To forgive himself._

_He must come to a decision,_

_Strengthen his resolve…_

_And when he does…_

_He will get the shock of his life!_

**R & R please!**


	3. To paint everything black

**Chapter Three: To paint everything black.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, my name would be Tite Kubo. It's not.**

Every day he woke up at the same time. He would head towards the hospital and reach the large, soulless doors. _Just like her._ He would think bitterly. Yet every day he couldn't bear to see her. So he would turn back and leave. He would walk all the way back to his house. He could never call it a home.

His house used to be white. He painted it black. When he went inside he would go straight to bed and sleep. It was his favorite thing to do. He woke up whenever a hollow approached. He always took care of it. Always. Nobody knew his name. They said he was an odd fellow. Rumors spread that he was an escaped convict, or a warlock. How ironic. Maybe he was. He wouldn't remember anyway.

In the morning he got dressed. He went outside. He walked all the way to the hospital. And he walked all the way back. It was a never ending pattern. He went back home and fell asleep again. How did he support himself? People often wondered. Nobody knew. But he knew. He didn't really care. His electricity bills weren't large. It was always dark. Black. In the morning he didn't wake up. He slept for longer than he usually did. When he finally awoke he checked his watch. He realized. He ran. It was raining outside. It soaked through his clothes, his skin, his heart. He stood in front of the doors as it beat down on him. He didn't leave this time. This time he went inside. He paced, back and forth. The receptionist eyed him.

"What do you want sir?" She was suspicious.

"…"

"Sir! What is your business here?"

"…"

"Sir! If you don't have any business here, please leave!"

He did. He waited for the next day. Maybe…

…

The next day Uryuu finally mustered the courage to show his face again. He went inside, and as usual the receptionist paid no mind to him. He always went the same way. Floor 3, room 351. When he went inside, she was awake.

Her back was to him. She was studying the light that seeped through the curtains. He walked up to her, waiting. He knew that she knew that he was there. Even if he masked his spiritual pressure, they had known each other long enough to know when the other was nearby. He waited. She didn't move, nor did she speak.

"Inoue-san."

"Yes Ishida-kun?" She turned towards him.

"I want to tell you the truth now."

"Ishida-kun doesn't have to." She said.

"What? But why?"

"Sometimes it is better to remain innocent of knowledge." She said. She laughed, but her eyes shone with grief. "I can't remember, Ishida-kun."

"Can't remember what?"

"I can't remember who said it." He didn't reply. "Ishida-kun? I've been sleeping for longer than a day or two, haven't I?"

"Yes, I-I'm sorry." Guilt wove its way to his exterior. Guilt that he had tried so hard to hide.

Orihime saw it. "And… Everyone else, my friends and family?"

"It's alright. You don't have to worry anymore. All that matters is that you're alive and well." He stopped. She didn't look at him. The walls that she had built were slowly breaking. She was biting her lip, drawing blood. Her fingers dug in to the sheet on her bed. She sat there, unmoving.

"I want to know." She said. Her voice was unsteady. "Please." She barely whispered.

"They-"He stopped. But he started again. "You won't see them again anytime soon."

Orihime was silent. "When will I see them?" She said.

"I don't know."

Orihime bowed her head, hiding the warm tears that flowed. One observing might not be able to tell, but if they looked very carefully she was shaking. "I want to see them now!" She cried.

"I-I don't know where they are." He lied.

"Please." She said again. "Please. Please, just say it."

"I'm sorry, I can't." He said.

She turned away. "Thank you for being honest Ishida-kun." And she meant every word.

…

Every day it seemed that he got closer to seeing her. Now he always went past the large doors. The receptionist came to know him and just allowed him to pace. She wasn't sure if she could trust him. He didn't look like someone who you should. But she didn't care. She grew to like the boy who never spoke to her. Whenever she asked his name he never answered. Even when she told him that visitors needed to wear name tags. She didn't mind. She liked the boy. He was different. He looked odd and he acted odd. He was an escape from her ordinary dull life full of work and boredom. She only wanted a change. Eventually she knew that he would become ordinary. She didn't want that to happen.

"If you have something to do, then do it." She said one day.

He looked at her, his expression unchanging.

"What is this over some relative you want to apologize to or something?"

He frowned, deeper than usual. "It's none of your business." He said. His voice was gentle yet dark, and very sharp.

"You come here every day and just walk back and forth like some middle-aged man!" She scoffed. "Stop acting like such a pansy and take care of whatever it is you have to!"

"What? There's nothing I can do." He said bitterly. His hands were in fists, knuckles turning white.

"What? Somebody dying or something? You know what, I hate pessimists."

"Yeah? Why should I care?"

"Cause you aren't helping anything by acting like one! Look, I don't really care, it's just annoying to have you come here every day and do the same thing all the time! Whoever's got you in such a mood, do you really think that they would want you to act like this?"

He looked away. His fierce eyes had softened.

"If you really want them to be okay, you have to take care of yourself. That's the only way to make things better." There was a long silence.

"Thank you." Was all he said. He kneaded the back of his neck. "I think I want to visit someone."

"Name?"

"Inoue Orihime."

…

Orihime had asked if Uryuu would still visit her. He said yes. He kept his promise. Always he came. They talked about a lot of things. The sun, the trees, the birds. They were an odd pair. Orihime didn't ask him anymore questions. She could see the pain in his eyes. She wanted to lift the weight off his shoulders. He was her I'm Sorry-san, after all. She did not want him to be sorry, so she talked about other things.

"How are you these days?"

"I'm fine." He said.

"What kinds of things do you do?"

He smiled. "The usual, I suppose. I still sew sometimes, when I'm on break."

"On break from what?"

He realized his mistake. If he said on break from college, she would be able to tell the number of years.

"Why haven't you asked me about anyone from Soul Society?" He asked.

She frowned. "I thought-"

There was a loud bang and both of their heads whipped around to see the cause. There, a young man with burning amber eyes and orange hair stood glaring at Uryuu.

"You _bastard_." He hissed. "Why didn't you tell me!" When he saw Orihime staring at him his eyes softened. "Are you alright, Inoue?"

What she said next shocked them both: "Who are you?"

**Author's Note: And thus our true story begins! Other characters will make their appearances soon as well. This chapter took longer than usual on account of school, the fact that this computer is shared, and that it hasn't been working right until today. Sorry!**

**Next chapter: To ask a question that has no answer**

_Problems arise, confusion._

_I see… heated discussion…_

_Paving the way for…._

_Comic relief! And questions are asked_

_And questions are answered._

_And some remain missing_

_And pieces add to the puzzle_

_And action must be taken_

_On deck*: Urahara Kisuke!_

_***Theater term for an actor (character) who is to make an entrance (appearance) after the act (chapter) being referred to.**_

_**R and R please!**_


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